•Taking off from a suggestion by South African President Thabo Mbeki, the ‘India-Brazil-South Africa’ (IBSA) forum was formed in 2003. It is an initiative to unite the three leading democracies of the developing world and an effort to counter the powerful Group of Eight alliance of industrialised countries and promote South-South cooperation. The three regional powers felt that by forging closer ties between themselves they would be able to improve co-operation and trade between their regions

•It was formally launched by the adoption of the ‘Brasilia Declaration’, where the three countries “decided to hold regular political consultations on international agenda items, as well as to exchange information on areas of mutual co-operation in order to coordinate their positions on issues of common interest”

•IBSA leaders argue that, working together, they will have greater leverage when negotiating with countries of the North for better trade conditions under the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

•Fourteen working groups representing various government departments cover agriculture, climate change, defence, education, energy — among others

•India leads in the education sector. At the 2nd IBSA Focal Points Meeting on November 29, 2004, the following three major areas of cooperation were identified for collaboration: open and distance education (South Africa), higher and professional education (Brazil), and universal mass education with special emphasis on quality and gender equality (India)

•In the area of science and technology, some workshops have already been held: nano-technology in India on April 19, 2005; HIV Aids in India on May 26, 2005; functional genomics, life science, GM and agriculture in India on July 18-19, 2006; malaria in South Africa on September 4-7, 2005; oceanography and Antarctic research in Brazil from September 14-16, 2006; HIV/AIDS in South Africa from October 2-4, 2005

•IBSA economic ministers met in New Delhi in March 2005, and decided to put in place arrangements for identifying and eliminating the non-tariff barriers which impede mutual trade. To this end, Brazil, India and South Africa have agreed on a common action plan, which includes establishment of a mechanism to exchange information and experiences between the parties on regulatory issues, organising sector-specific seminars and workshops on technical regulations and conformity assessmentand so on

•The working group on energy aims to promote the production and use of bio-fuels as environmentally friendly and sustainable fuels that would promote socio-economic development, taking into consideration their global importance. It also creates an opportunity for information exchanges on renewable energy and the bio-fuels value chain

•At the Rio de Janeiro ministerial meeting on March 30, 2006, the composition of the United Nations was discussed. The ministers felt that the UN Security Council must, in its composition, represent contemporary realities and not those of 1945. Keeping in view that the decisions of the Security Council should serve the interests of the larger UN membership, expansion in both categories of membership, permanent and non-permanent, is required. Towards this end, the representation of developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, as permanent members of the Security Council, is essential